Testing a Crisis Management System via the Simulation of a Bulk Emulsion Truck Fire -

Learning Through Collaboration

Ben Williams Managing Director, EPC-UK

Ashley Haslett Head of Operations & SHEAQ, EPC-UK
Rob Farnfield Head of Explosives Engineering, EPC-UK
Diane Cartledge Business Standards Manager, EPC-UK

Abstract

Major accidents that occur within our industry are often tragic and expensive, damaging reputation and
threaten the livelihood of the business. There isnt anything in them that can be seen as positive for those
that experience them. They undertake what are usually very painful, detailed and time consuming
investigations to discover how the incident occurred and what needs to be done in the future to prevent
similar incidents occurring. Many admirably choose to share the lessons learnt through industry
organizations such as SAFEX International so that we can all have the opportunity of preventing similar
incidents from occurring within our own organizations.
This paper will highlight how EPC United Kingdom plc undertook a simulation of a fire on a bulk
emulsion truck in a quarry. With the cooperation of a major customer, the simulation was enacted,
escalating it as it would have happened to identify weaknesses in our emergency planning including the
Group Crisis Management provisions for media handling locally. This included having television
reporters on the premises and providing press statements and live TV and radio interviews. The paper
will describe the planning leading up to the actual event and the actions taken by all staff at the
customers quarry. Prior knowledge of the event was limited to only those who needed to know on a
safety basis, providing a reality to the occasion. As the seriousness of the event increased, so too did the
scope of involvement with members of the Crisis Management teams in different countries being
engaged. The benefits of prior crisis management planning and exercises, combined with the lessons
learnt from the model event and the knowledge gained through this collaborative approach are presented
within this paper.

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Introduction
A major accident occurred in Drevja, Norway on 17th December 2013 when a fire within the engine
compartment of a Mobile Explosives Manufacturing Unit (MEMU) started and could not be
extinguished with the extinguishers available on this vehicle, and others in the immediate area. The fire
spread on the vehicle, despite the appropriate actions being taken by the MEMU Operator and the other
personnel at the civil road construction site. When it became obvious that the fire could not be
contained, the decision was taken to evacuate the area and the emergency services called. All personnel
(approximately 40) evacuated to a distance of 1,650 feet, closing the access roads from both directions
and informing local residents to evacuate. The exclusion zone was expanded to 3,300 feet by the
emergency services, while the fire on the vehicle continued to burn and intensify. After approximately
two and a half hours, a mass detonation occurred. Structural damage occurred to buildings, windows
were broken and vehicles damaged. There were no casualties.

The incident was communicated promptly to the industry through SAFEX Internationals Incident
Notices (IN34-13). As the investigation progressed, further information was provided on the incident by
the company operating the MEMU and latterly by the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protections.

As a company operating MEMUs extensively throughout the United Kingdom, the information
available on this incident was considered to identify the lessons that could be learnt. The company had
procedures in place to deal with emergency situations such as this, including a crisis management team
which regularly undertook exercises, involving media training. But the incident that occurred in Norway
triggered the question as to how all of our preparation and provisions would fit together to deliver the
results that we would expect in a situation involving stakeholders locally in the U.K.

Planning for the simultaneous on-site emergency and crisis management exercise
The fire / explosion of the MEMU in Norway and the actions taken to manage the incident created the
opportunity to learn from the event and question our own provisions. The What if challenge arose.

Taking the information from the scenario, a customer was approached and requested to collaborate with
us in re-enacting the situation to test both of our capabilities to manage from the initial fire on a MEMU
on a quarry site, evacuation of the site, through to the escalation to a crisis situation with media
intervention. The customer had been aware of the details of the actual event and could immediately
identify with the benefits of undertaking such an exercise. The objectives were identified as being;

(i) Test simultaneous desktop emergency and crisis management exercises

(ii) Test effectiveness of initial communication between MEMU Operator and site management
(iii) Test effectiveness between site and our management team
(iv) Test effectiveness of communication between Head Office and other Crisis Management Team
members (CMT2)
(v) Test leadership skills of management
(vi) Test availability of required resources
(vii) Test availability of necessary information and communication of the same

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(viii) Test knowledge in relation to hazards and risks associated with scenario
(ix) Test knowledge and understanding of MEMU emergency procedure
(x) Test knowledge and understanding of Crisis Management procedure
(xi) Test ability to prepare media statements
(xii) Test ability to deliver media statements
(xiii) Record completion of training by all individual participants
(xiv) Compliance with Group Health & Safety Standard
(xv) Identify issues that arose and implement action plan
(xvi) Review the implementation of corrective actions and effectiveness of them after a reasonable
period of time.

Planning was recognized as being a key element in the success of such a challenge. In addition to this,
the need for confidentiality during the planning stage was essential so that no one other than those who
were directly involved in the planning were aware that an exercise was taking place. With details such as
dates, time and site location agreed with the customer, the resources and information that needed to be
communicated during the event were agreed and finalized. Consideration was also given to the safety of
the exercise itself to ensure that any real emergency arising could be responded to and that no call would
be made to the emergency services during the exercise due to mis-information as to what was real and
what was within the exercise.

Execution of the simultaneous on-site emergency and crisis management exercise

A MEMU arrived at the customers site as planned for a scheduled and designed blast. Having
completed the normal arrival formalities with the customer, the truck was driven to the blast site where
the MEMU Operators were met by the company manager designated to initiate the on-site emergency
exercise, oversee the activities and act as the safety person who would stop the event if the need arose. A
video camera was fitted to the managers helmet enabling the event to be videoed as it occurred for
review at a later time.

The manager introduced themselves to the MEMU crew and explained that they were conducting an
exercise. The scenario was explained to them that flames had been noticed at the front of the MEMU
and asked what actions they would take. They then walked through the various actions of locating the
fire extinguishers, demonstrating how to use them, the requirement to isolate the battery and remove the
explosives articles from the vehicle were all checked. At this point, the crew was informed that for the
purpose of the exercise, they had been unable to extinguish the fire at the front of the vehicle and that it
was now out of their control to extinguish it. They were asked what action they would now take in a real
situation. Having correctly stated the appropriate action, they were asked to contacted site management
via the Blasting Teams radio to, inform them that an exercise involving a fire on the MEMU was in
process and that the fire on the vehicle was out of their control. As they evacuated the area, they
recommended that the site management initiate their site evacuation alarm. The fact that it was an
exercise and that the emergency services must not be called at any point was emphasized. During the
MEMU Operators evacuation from the scene to the site emergency assembly point, one Operator was
advised to inform site management at the assembly area that they had suffered burns to one arm. The
MEMU Operators also became aware that they had no immediate access to mobile phones, having left
the one they raised the alarm on within the cab of the vehicle. The crew members contacted their line
manager using a phone at the Assembly Point.

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The site evacuation alarm was sounded and all personnel on site congregated at the Assembly Area for
the Roll Call. None of the workforce on site had any prior knowledge of the exercise and were under the
impression that a real emergency had occurred. All persons on site were correctly accounted but upon
the initial roll call, one person was noted to be missing. That person was working within a very noisy
environment at the time and had been wearing ear defenders, preventing them from hearing the
evacuation alarm. It was known where that person was working and he was brought to the assembly area
and accounted for. An on-site first aider went through the actions of rendering the appropriate first aid
for the burns victim. There were 8 qualified first aiders on the site at the time of the exercise. As a result
of the exercise, management at the customers site recognized that they were inadequately prepared to
effectively assist with an evacuation of neighbors from what could have been a 3,300 feet exclusion
zone. They also realized that a suitable list of telephone numbers for contacts to use in such an event was
not available. These issues were being progressed by them after the event.

At this point, the on-site exercise concluded, enabling the operations at the quarry to resume, avoiding
too much disruption. Arrangements had been made that our media resource for the event would make an
initial phone call to a manager, claiming to be a local resident having seen smoke coming from the
quarry and were concerned for their safety. Tweets also started to appear on Twitter. The details of the
on-site incident were quickly communicated to the relevant senior manager who initiated the assembly
of our Crisis Management Team. Some team members were unable to attend but dialed into the
conference call facility at the first available opportunity. The remainder of the team assembled as per the
procedure, gathered details of the event and commenced planning and deployment of the required
resources. A Note Taker was appointed and recorded details of the event as they occurred and were
notified. Having a previously prepared and often rehearsed crisis management procedure greatly assisted
in this phase of the incident. The event was of such significance that it was also escalated to Crisis
Management Team 1 in Paris. None of these personnel had been prior informed of the incident and
participated in line with the procedures previously well established. Suitable resources to assist at the
event were identified and for the purpose of the exercise, dispatched to provide local support.

Within a relatively short space of time, a television Reporter and Cameraman arrived at Head Office
Reception unannounced, seeking an immediate interview with the company Spokesperson. The
Reception personnel, who again had no prior knowledge of the event (nor training in how to handle this
situation) tackled the matter efficiently and professionally. The Reporter was led to an area where they
were asked to wait while a company Spokesperson was available. All of this was filmed by the
Cameraman and used in conjunction with slides to develop an internal training presentation for internal
use on how to Manage the Media upon their arrival. Within the crisis management procedure, an
element of it is to prepare initial holding statements and further press releases in a timely manner. This
had been initiated at the outset of the assembly of the CMT2 and preparation was well underway when
they were advised that a Reporter was in Reception. The company Spokespersons were each summoned
in turn to appear in front of the Reporter and Cameraman to deliver statements. There were also radio
interviews to conduct and finally a Press Conference when representatives of the CMT2 were each
questioned in turn on aspects of the incident and why it hadnt been prevented. As the exercise
developed, further information was communicated to the CMT from the scene of the incident such as the
requirement to increase the exclusion zone and the mass initiation of the truck.

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On completion of the exercise, a review meeting two weeks later enabled everyone involved to feedback
what had gone well and where the opportunities for improvement lay.

Key Learnings
Communication was as expected, far from perfect, but the exercise has provided to opportunity and
recognition to do more to address this.

With social media and information as freely available as it has become, the requirement to monitor
Facebook, Twitter, television channels and other sources has become essential. The need to have the
hardware and individuals capable of knowing how and what to monitor in a location with good
communication to the crisis management team assists in knowing what is being fed to the public.

Systems such as Google Earth provide instant access to view the landscape of remote incidents. Being
able to access these (as Facebook & Twitter) from inside a company network may not be achievable
normally. Having that capability to do so during a remote incident provides the crisis management team
with a view that might not otherwise be achievable.

While the person in Reception responded exceptionally well to the arrival of the Reporter and
Cameraman, training shortcomings were identified in certain aspects such as handling and directing calls
relating to the crisis and media handling on arrival.

Sharing contact details and procedures for emergency situations with customers, and ensuring that these
are periodically updated places information in the hands of those that may need it quickly and
unexpectedly.

Videoing all of the event has provided materials that are being used to assist in training for emergency
situations on MEMU trucks, handling the media on arrival and during the crisis and to explain the crisis
management provisions that are in place.

Conclusion
This presentation has highlighted how EPC-United Kingdom plc undertook a simulation of a fire on a
MEMU in a quarry. With the cooperation of a major customer, the simulation was enacted, escalating it
as it would have happened to identify weaknesses in our emergency planning including the Group crisis
management provisions for media handling locally.

The objectives specified at the outset of the collaboration with the customer were met.

The opportunity to conduct an on-site emergency exercise in collaboration with a customer, and
simultaneously implementing the corresponding crisis exercise challenged everyone involved, and was
recognized as providing an invaluable experience. The review of the exercise provided all parties with
the opportunity to give and receive feedback, and act upon the areas where improvements were
identified.

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Acknowledgements
EPC-UK is grateful to;

Maxam for sharing of the details of the fire and explosion on a MEMU and the findings of the incident
investigation.

SAFEX International for communication of the incident within a very short timeframe.

Lafarge Tarmac Ballidon quarry for their participation and collaboration in the facilitation of the on-site
MEMU emergency exercise.

References
Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protections (DSB), Explosion accident during mobile production of
bulk explosives, 2015

SAFEX International, 17th December 2013, Norway Explosion of bulk emulsion truck, IN34-13
(Access restricted to members)

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